General election: Labour ready to back Boris Johnson's bid for December poll, says Corbyn

UK looks set for pre-Christmas national vote after five-week campaign expected to be dominated by Brexit

The UK is set for a pre-Christmas general election, after Labour agreed to back an early poll.

The national vote is likely to be held on 12 December, under the terms of legislation tabled by prime minister Boris Johnson and due to be voted on in the House of Commons today.

At a meeting of Labour’s shadow cabinet, Jeremy Corbyn told his top team that the party could now back an early election as its condition that a no-deal Brexit must be off the table has now been met.

Addressing the shadow cabinet, Mr Corbyn promised “the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change our country has ever seen” in the upcoming battle for 10 Downing Street.

The Labour leader told colleagues: “I have consistently said that we are ready for an election and our support is subject to a no-deal Brexit being off the table.

“We have now heard from the EU that the extension of Article 50 to 31 January has been confirmed, so for the next three months, our condition of taking no-deal off the table has now been met.

“We will now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change our country has ever seen.

Labour abstained on Monday as Mr Johnson failed in his third attempt to secure the backing of two-thirds of MPs for an early election.

The party’s support means that Mr Johnson is now certain to win the simple majority he needs to pass a bill overriding fixed-term parliaments’ laws and ushering in a December poll.

The government had earlier signalled it was ready to consider an 11 December date for the election in the hope of winning the support of Liberal Democrats, who had earlier rejected the Tory proposal of the 12th.